Figure 1: One of the many nice “Erie Eyes” I’ve caught over the last couple of years as a novice Walleye angler.
Lake Erie has been known as “The Walleye Capital of the World” by many anglers for years due to it’s historically excellent Walleye (Sander vitreus) fishery. This title was especially popular in the 2000’s when Walleye numbers and size were reaching record highs due to very successful hatches.
Many anglers I’ve spoken to look back on the late 2000’s with nostalgia for the bountiful harvests and memories made spending the day catching Walleye with friends and family. Recently however, anglers have been given another chance to enjoy some of Lake Erie’s finest fishing due to a now booming Walleye population. During 2021, it is estimated that the number of two year old Walleye, which are reaching the keeper size limit of 15″ minimum, will be close to 100 million fish (Ohio Division of Natural Resources, 2021). These numbers are quickly approaching those seen during the hay day of Erie’s Walleye fishing when it first earned its notoriety as one of the best places to catch Walleye worldwide.
But how do you catch these fish?
Anglers are seeing very high success rates with variety of lures and techniques and “Walleye catches per hour” are hitting some of the highest rates ever recorded by fisheries biologists with the Ohio Division of Wildlife (Ohio Division of Natural Resources, 2021). Speaking with a local bait shop employee or viewing various fishing forums or pages on Facebook can give you a great idea on how to learn what lures and where Walleye are being caught. Throwing nightcrawler harnesses and deep diving crankbaits behind the boat has yielded great results for many in the past and continues to perform exceptionally well today. Typically, throwing brighter colors like gold or white when water clarity is high works best and throwing darker colors like black in the warmer months when algal blooms occur yields the best results (Nieman et al., 2020).
No boat? No problem!
If a boat is unavailable, worry not, there are plenty of charter captains on the lake that are glad to treat their clients to very successful days on the water at fair prices. They take care of setting up the gear, netting the fish, and many also offer services to clean your catch for you! Additionally, many anglers can enjoy amazing Walleye fishing during the Spring spawning run. Walleye school up in the creek and river tributaries of the lake where they are readily accessible to wade fisherman and bank anglers alike using all kinds of lures.
Outlook of Walleye fishing looks great!
Due to the high numbers of fish, many first time Erie fisherman and veteran anglers alike are making the trip up the lake and are finding success. Walleye fishing should be good for years to come and now is the time to go if you ever thought about fishing Ohio’s great lake. Be sure to purchase an Ohio fishing license and familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of the water before fishing. Also remember, Lake Erie is also known as the Seasickness Capital of the World so take some anti nausea medicine like Dramamine before heading out onto the water. Good luck!
Get your license here: https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/buy-and-apply/hunting-fishing-boating/fishing-resources/fishing-licenses
References:
Nieman, C. L., Bruskotter, J. T., Braig IV, E. C., & Gray, S. M. (2020). You can’t just use gold: elevated turbidity alters successful lure color for recreational Walleye fishing. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 46(3), 589-596.
Ohio Division of Natural Resources. (2021). Get Your Gear Ready for Lake Erie Walleye Fishing. Ohiodnr.gov.